Arizona's school districts are facing scrutiny from state Representative Matt Gress, the Chairman of the House Education Committee, due to a disconcerting trend in financial allocations. According to the Arizona House of Representatives, while overall spending in school districts surged by $519 million compared to last year, the share of funds earmarked directly for classroom instruction has dipped for the third consecutive year. Districts are only spending 52.6% of operational budgets on instruction, a historic low since reporting started in 2001. This downward trajectory strikes despite the state's K-12 education program reaching $16 billion, or more than $15,000 per pupil.
"The state’s $16 billion K-12 education program provides more than $15,000 per pupil. Yet, once again, district leadership has disproportionately allocated money to areas other than instruction," Gress noted in a statement. His comments reflect the findings of the Auditor General’s report, which laid bare that out of 206 districts, 120 have reduced the slice of the budget put towards in-classroom spending. Meanwhile, districts are collectively sitting on $7.8 billion in ending fund balances
The report also shined light on the status of teacher pay and experience levels across these schools. Although the average teacher salary in Arizona has seen general improvement, 38% of districts reported decreased pay, potentially due to experienced teachers leaving or being replaced. Additionally, the number of teachers with four or more years of experience has dropped from 82% to 78% in the past year.
In the face of this challenge, Gress urges that if the same portion of the budget were allocated to instruction as twenty years ago, it would free up an additional $624 million, which could increase teacher salaries by about $8,500 annually. "Resources are available but teachers are taking the back seat to administration," he stressed, as per the Arizona House of Representatives.
